From left, Sydney-Whitney Pier MLA Derek Mombourquette, Glace Bay MLA Geoff MacLellan, Nova Scotia Health Authority CEO Janet Knox, Dr. Paul MacDonald, Premier Stephen McNeil and Health and Wellness Minster Randy Delorey hear the jeers and boos from the crowd as the new plan for the delivery of health care in Cape Breton was announced at the Joan Harriss Cruise Pavilion in Sydney on June 25 - Nikki Sullivan

But premier missed mark when he scurried away from questions

Four years of planning. Four senior politicians. Multiple bureaucrats. Little consideration for how it would be received in the community.

These appear to be the key ingredients that went into Monday’s press conference in downtown Sydney.

Premier Stephen McNeil’s plan to overhaul health care in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality isn’t sitting well with everyone just yet, but if the plan is executed correctly, it could result in a measurable improvement to the services so many Cape Bretoners depend on.

The plan, dubbed “CBRM Health Care Redevelopment,” was unveiled in front of a raucous crowd at Sydney’s Joan Harriss Cruise Pavilion on Monday. While some have been quick to dismiss its merits, there are some obvious benefits which are worth highlighting.

There will be a net increase of 50 long-term care beds. Glace Bay’s emergency department will increase by 30 per cent, while the emergency department at the Cape Breton Regional Hospital will increase by 40 per cent. The Cape Breton Cancer Centre will expand by 20,000 square feet. A community-based paramedic program will be launched. New facilities will be built to house community health centres and long-term care facilities in New Waterford and North Sydney.

It’s also expected that improved facilities and fewer emergency departments will be beneficial to doctor recruitment and retention. Statistics provided by the department this week suggest that 75 per cent of patients visiting New Waterford’s emergency department did not require emergency care and could have been treated by either primary health-care providers or by community-based paramedics. At the Northside General, 60 per cent of patients presenting at the emergency department fit into this same category.

Also take into consideration the amount of emergency department closures that were taking place on a regular basis at both of these departments. Given the number of closures in recent years, is it even fair to say those communities have been enjoying the benefit of an emergency department in their community? No doubt many residents have already been driving to Sydney or Glace Bay for care.

According to the 2016 census, the population of the CBRM is 98,722. That was down 2.9 per cent from the previous census which recorded 101,619 people in the municipality. In the 1950s and 1960s, when the Northside General and New Waterford hospitals were built, the population in what is now known as the CBRM was growing. According to census data, population peaked in 1961 at just over 131,000.

In 2018, we are faced with a declining population and an increased need for services. Keeping four hospitals open within such a small radius has meant we’ve had to stretch our resources too thin.

Sure, we would all like to see hospitals within a few minutes of our home. Who wouldn’t? We’d all like to have family doctors, shorter wait-times and access to specialists too. The reality is that we as a province do not have it in our budget to grant such things to every citizen. Instead, we must make sound financial choices to ensure we all continue to enjoy a fair level of health care and other essential services.

We are already spending approximately 40 per cent of the annual provincial budget on health care. That figure will continue to grow whether we like it or not, and it is for that reason that we must start to look at options for efficiencies.

It is simply not fiscally responsible to maintain outdated buildings with a goal of pleasing a few when the entire population stands to benefit from investment into new facilities and improved care. Aging infrastructure comes at a cost, and taxpayers will be better served if their money is spent on resources rather than maintenance.

Unfortunately, while McNeil’s government may have come up with a decent plan for health-care in Cape Breton, they have once again tried to ram their plans into place without consideration for those most affected by it.

They did not inform doctors and other frontline health-care providers in advance. They travelled all the way to Sydney for the announcement and yet chose not to respond to questions and comments from those in attendance at the press conference.

In fact, McNeil and his posse quickly scurried out of the room following his remarks to the crowd. Randy Delorey, minister of Health and Wellness, didn’t even get a turn at the podium before the exodus.

As such, any commendation McNeil might deserve for making this courageous — albeit controversial — political decision is nearly cancelled out by the fact that he did not also possess the courage to speak directly with Cape Bretoners on it.

Many were dealt a tough blow on Monday and they deserved better treatment from their provincial representatives.

McNeil has said true leadership means making tough decisions. What he is forgetting is that true leadership also means facing tough questions and taking time to acknowledge and respect those who are affected by those tough decisions.